Home Is Where I Belong
by PhantomTwilighter2009
Summary: Erik is a 7 year-old boy with an abusive mother. What happens when Christine's mother comes to his home and asks if he wants to live with her? Will be based on just their childhoods.
1. Can I?

**Okay, I'll admit that some of the stuff that I've been putting out hasn't been the best, but I'm trying to get all the crap out and the only way I can do that is if I show it to you guys. I know it's weird, but just bear with me, okay? I have a story that I have to write by Thursday for my writing club and all I've been able to write is fanfiction and we don't allow fanfiction. Which I find odd, but I wasn't the one who made up the rules; I just helped make it. So, I just want to get all my Phantom or Twilight urges out before Thursday and hopefully I can write something! I love you guys and I think fanfiction is the greatest! I just need to write something else and I'll get back to you all later!**

**Home Is Where I Belong**

Erik sat in his attic bedroom, tears rolling out of his eyes as he thought of his latest fight with his mother. _Get away from me, you little monster! I swear, Erik, one day..._ He could still feel the sting from her harsh slap, the dull ache that radiated off his back from when he crashed into the mirror. _Now look at what you've done! Get out of my sight, Erik! Get out!_

"Why, Mother? Why is it so hard for you to love me?" he whispered sadly to himself. He was only seven years old and he had been denied her love all seven years. Just because he wasn't normal like her or Marie didn't mean that she couldn't love him. She often called him a monster, devil, freak...rarely did she ever call him by his actually name, but, when she did, she was usually angry at him. "I've always been a good boy, Mother. Why won't you love me?"

Getting up from his stiff, hard bed, Erik walked over to the window that overlooked the drive to their small house; a house he had never seen the outside of. Many people would have found this odd, but to Erik had never been allowed outside, let alone out of his room. The only time he was allowed out was during his lessons and at breakfast and supper.

Looking out, he saw something peculiar; it was a young woman, she looked a few years younger than his mother, and she held a bundle in her thin arms. _Who would be wondering around with a baby at this hour? _Erik thought, looking at his small clock that read 10:00 PM. He had heard from Marie that it was dangerous for women to be out late at night without a chaperone. Grabbing his cloth mask, Erik quickly put it on and tip-toed down the stairs, knowing that his mother was already fast asleep.

He was a few steps away from the door when he heard a soft and hesitant knock on the oak door and Erik rushed to answer it before his mother heard it too and woke up; he would probably be punished if she found him so near the door this late at night. Opening it, Erik gasped at what he found; the woman he had seen from the window was beautiful! Even more beautiful than his mother! She had blonde curls that cascaded down her back, soft, sapphire eyes, fair skin, and lips that could have been mistaken for rose petals.

"Young man, is your mother awake?" she asked breathlessly, "I need a place for me and my baby to rest."

"I'm sorry, Madame, but my _mother_," he spat as if the word itself tasted bitterly on his tongue, "has already gone to bed."

"Oh! I'm sorry! I didn't know! I saw a light on in the attic and I...I only assumed-"

"It's alright, Madame. Please, come inside and I'll go fetch my...mother." Erik gestured into the house, inviting the young woman in. He heard the baby coo as it shifted within it's mother's arms and Erik smiled; it's sound was so sweet and pure that it could only belong to an infant. Leading the woman into the sitting room, he stood as she settled down into the rocking chair that sat by his piano. "If you don't mind me asking, Madame, how old is your baby?"

The woman's face broke into a sweet smile, "She was born five months ago; she was a whole month early!"

Erik's eyes widened at this; he had never heard of a baby being born that early! Surely that would cause some problems for the poor child. "What is her name?"

"Christine." the woman smiled and kissed her daughter's forehead softly, which caused the child to giggle in response. "Shh, darling, we don't want to wake up this kind boy's mother." she laughed as Christine grunted, as if to tell her that she didn't care.

"May I see what she looks like?" Erik asked as he watched the woman stroke the girl's face lovingly. Looking up from her Christine, she pulled back the blanket that was on the covering the child's face. Leaning over, his face fell at how precious she was; she had brownish-blonde hair, chubby cheeks, a petite nose, and chocolate brown eyes that had an odd violet ring.

"Why does her eyes have that violet ring in them?"

"I don't know. Her grandmother's eyes were violet so maybe that's where she got it." the woman sighed wistfully, as if she were remembering something that she would rather not remember. Before Erik could ask any more questions, he heard footsteps coming down the stairs. His whole body froze and he temporarily forgot about the woman and child sitting across from where he was standing. Turning around, he felt a hand connect with his cheek, causing the mask to fly off and land on the other side of the room.

"Why the hell are you awake? I thought I told you to go to your room and to stay there until I told you that you could come back down!" Madeline said in a harsh whisper, her dark eyes looking straight into her son's frightened golden eyes. Hearing an appalled gasp, she removed her eyes to the young woman sitting right in front of her; her sapphire eyes held horror and disgust that Madeline assumed was from her seeing Erik's face. "Pick up your mask and go back to your room." she ordered.

Erik stood there, stunned that he had been slapped twice in the same night. Turning back around, he felt tears falling down his cheeks as the woman he had been talking to looked upon his face with disgust. "I'm sorry..." he whimpered, grabbed his mask, and ran to his bedroom, ashamed and saddened that such a beautiful woman had to look upon his face.

"Young man, wait!" the woman called, gently setting her daughter onto the sofa, glaring at Madeline as she ran past her and up the stairs. _What room could possibly be his? _Walking over to the door on the right, she tentatively knocked on the door and she heard sniffling coming from the other side.

"Young man," she began softly,

"Erik," he said, his quiet voice muffled from the door.

"Erik, that's a nice name."

"Now tell me yours."

"My name is Eva. Eva Daae. Erik, can you open the door? I want to talk to you." Eva asked, making sure her voice was kind and gentle. Hearing feet coming down a flight of stairs, she smiled warmly as the boy opened the door to his room. He stood there with his shirt, revealing the numerous scars that littered his chest. Tears formed in Eva's eyes as she pulled Erik into a tight embrace, her hands feeling how thin he was and the scars that covered his back. "Erik, do you want to come with me?"

Erik stood perfectly still, afraid that if he moved the dream he was in would shatter. "You....You want me? N-Nobody has...has ever wanted...me." he whimpered and buried his face into Eva's bodice. He felt one of her hands run through his thick black hair and the other rub comfortingly up and down his back.

"Well, I want you to come with me. I'll talk with your mother and I must send a letter to my husband to get the guest room ready." she whispered soothingly; Eva could already tell that her husband was going to love Erik.

"Are you sure, Madame? I don't want to impose..." Erik pulled back from the embrace, staring up at Eva's face. He was scared. He was scared that once they reached her house, she would regret bringing a monster with her. And what about her husband? What if he treated him just as horribly as his mother?

"Don't be silly! You won't be any trouble at all. Now, go pack your things and I'll meet you downstairs, alright?" Eva smiled again, pulling off Erik's mask without even thinking. The deformity covered all of the boy's face; he was missing his nose, tight skin that stretched over his high cheekbones, his cheeks were hollow, and you could see the little veins pulsating underneath the thin layer of flesh.

Erik was paralyzed as he let Eva examine his face. _She's seen my face...she'll never want to take me now! Why didn't I stop her? _"Erik, look at me." the same woman who was plaguing his thoughts was speaking to him. Numbly, Erik lifted his golden, tear filled eyes and searched her face for the horror and disgust that usually filled his mother's face, but...he couldn't find it. No matter how hard he looked, he couldn't find it.

"Do you know what I see? I see a young boy who wants nothing but a kind, loving mother. If you come with me, Erik, I promise you won't have to hide. I promise that you can go outside and play with Christine and I promise that you won't have to wear a mask, unless you absolutely want to."

Hearing this, Erik wrapped his arms around Eva's waist and cried. He felt loved...he had never felt loved before. It felt nice...he didn't feel so alone. "I-I want...want to come...w-with you." he sobbed, hoping that she understood what he was trying to say.

"Good. I'll see you in a few minutes, okay?" Eva smiled as she watched Erik run up the stairs that must have led to his actual bedroom. Turning on her heel, Eva walked determinedly down the narrow stairs and into the sitting room, where she found her whimpering Christine being held in the arms of Erik's mother.

"Ahem, Madame. I would like to have my child back, if you don't mind." she asked, but, with the tone she used, it sounded like a command. Madeline stood up and reluctantly handed over the beautiful baby. _Why couldn't I have given birth to a child like that? Why is it that this young girl get's a precious child while I get a monster?_

"Merci, Madame. Now, I wish to talk to you about something." Eva began, not entirely sure how she was going to ask this woman for her child or what her reaction would be, but, recalling her earlier behavior, she could tell that this was going to be easy.

"And what would that be, Madame..."

"Daae. Eva Daae."

"Madame Daae. Tell me now so that I can go to bed." Madeline groaned, rubbing her temples with her dainty hands, her straight brown hair falling in her face.

"I wanted to ask you if Erik can come live with me." Eva said in a rush, praying that she didn't raise Erik's hopes for nothing. The boy would truly be crushed if he found out he couldn't come with her after all.

"You want to take Erik from me?" Madeline asked, raw anger coursing through her veins, "Why do you want to take him away from me?"

"I've seen the way you treat him, Madame. I've seen the scars, the bruises, and the emotional pain that you cause that child. All he wants is a mother's love and all you've shown him is that you hate him with your whole being. He wants to come with me, Madame, and I will not stop him."

"You think I'm a bad mother! Well, let me tell you something, Madame Daae! That boy there has been shown love; he's just too wild to realize it! He is a horrid child who will bring you nothing but heartache and a fairly good reason to attempt suicide!"

"How can you say that about your own son? He's a kind boy! The reason why he rebels against you is because he feels as if you don't give a damn about what he does! He just wants to have a mother."

"He does have a mother! Me! I'm a good mother and I don't need someone like you, who he has only known for less than an hour, tell me that I'm a bad parent!" at this, Christine began to cry; her sensitive ears couldn't take all the shouting. Eva rocked her baby back and forth, trying to sooth her as best as she could with the situation going on in front of her.

"How come you slapped him? Why are there scars on his body? Why is he so thin? Have you ever even hugged him? Kissed him? Just because he was born with a deformity doesn't give you an excuse to not be a mother. I'm going to take Erik with me and if you clean up your act and want him back, I'll give you my address. But, I must tell you Madame, you've caused permanent damage to him emotionally; he'll never be a happy, carefree child. Au revior, Madame. I hope you have a good rest of the night." and with that, Eva walked calmly over to the door, where she found Erik. He looked at her with his glossy golden eyes and grasped her slender, pale hand.

"May I say something to my mother before I leave?" he asked timidly; he was still afraid of getting hit or a sentence to his bedroom for asking questions, but all Eva did was nod and smile at him.

"Just give me your bag; I'll be right here."

Erik simply walked forward to where his mother stood; she looked angelic in the moonlight, but he knew that the face was only a mask. Underneath her pale, perfect skin was a demon, one worse than him, and when it lashed out, it made the real angels quake. "Mother, I know that you've never loved me; I know that my face is the reason why you can't stand me, but, I just wanted to let you know, I've always loved you. I'm sorry if I wasn't the son you have always wanted, but I tried hard, I really did! Yet, you still refused to love me. Au revior, Mother; I hope you can finally be happy, now that the monster is leaving." Erik choked out and ran out the door, trying to hide his tears from his stunned mother.

Eva took one last look at the woman before her; she looked tired, angry, and...sad. She honestly looked sad about her only son leaving. For a second, Eva considered whether or not it was a good idea to take this woman's child away, but the image of her slapping Erik's frightened face, she shook her head and walked out the door.

^.^

"Erik, dear, wake up; we're here." Eva said softly, shaking his bony shoulder ever so gently. They had spent the past five days riding in a cramped carriage. Erik slowly opened his golden eyes and stared up into the sapphire ones he had grown to trust over the past few days. He was excited to hear that Eva lived in Nice, which was south of France and near the sea, but he still had his doubts: what if her husband didn't like him? What if Christine would grow to hate her adopted brother?

"Really? You're not joking this time?" he asked sleepily. The whole trip Eva had joked that they were in Nice, which caused Erik to cry or to worry even more.

"I'm not, I promise! Look out the window." Erik did just that and gasped at what he saw; it was a simple cottage that had ivy and roses crawling up the sides, a perfect drive and lawn, and a breathtaking view of the Mediterranean Sea.

"This is where you live?"

"Only in the spring and summer; we normally live in Sweden, that's where my husband and I are from."

"Seriously? You have two houses?" Erik asked, unable to contain his eagerness any longer. He had only heard that rich people could afford more than one home, and, from what Eva had told him on their journey, her husband wasn't exactly rich. _"My parents are the ones who are rich; they hate Gustave because they believe he can't give me a good life, but they still give us money once a week."_

Christine scrunched her tiny nose up at the noise. Who woke her up from her nap? Opening her eyes, she giggled as she saw the boy with the mask. She couldn't figure out why, but he seemed to be kind; her mother trusted him.

"Bonjour, little one! I thought you were never going to wake up." Eva laughed, pulling the arm of her dress down, covered her breast with a blanket, and let Christine eat. Erik always felt jealous during these mother-daughter moments; he never got that with his mother. She never fed him from her breast, never showed him an ounce of love while he was with her, but he couldn't think about that now.

Christine soon finished her meal and snuggled her pale face into her mother's chest, finding comfort in the familiar beat that she had heard in her warm home. _She really is precious. Why do I feel jealous when I watch Eva feed Christine? Yes, Mother never did that for me, but I had accepted that long ago... _

"Ready to see the inside of your new home?" Eva questioned eagerly. She had sent a letter to her husband the night that they had left and she had prayed that he had gotten it before they had arrived. Erik nodded his head enthusiastically and placed his mask on before opening the carriage door. It broke Eva's heart whenever Erik put his mask on; it was almost like another child was in his place. Christine didn't like it either. The first time he had worn it around her, the second day of their ride, she cried and refused to be held by him with the mask on. _I think you'll be good for him, ma ange. I hope you two become good friends. _She thought, stroking her daughter's brownish-blonde hair.

Getting out of the carriage, she found Erik standing at the front door, but he made no move to open it. She could she his thin body trembling, his shoulders jerking with hushed sobs. Walking over to him, Eva opened the door, gave his hand a reassuring squeeze, and led him into her home.

Erik wiped away his tears, but found that only new ones sprang into his eyes; the house was warm and welcoming. There wasn't much furniture, but what was there was of the highest quality. The walls were part stone, part wood with pictures of, what he presumed to be, Sweden. The floor was made out of oak and was covered with several soft rugs, probably for Christine, and a red, plush sofa and chair sat in front of the fireplace. "I never knew a home could feel...friendly. I always imagined that every house was like mine, but I guess I was wrong."

"Every house is different. I personally love this cottage because it reminds of the one I grew up in as a little girl, but I also love our home in Sweden because that was where I hold some of my most treasured memories with my family and I hope that I can create some memories there with you too, Erik. Now, follow me, I'll show you to your room and, with any luck, meet my husband."

Following Eva, Erik looked at the paintings that hung on the wall on the way to his bed; one was of Eva and Gustave on there wedding day, one of Eva round with child, and one of a child, around three or four, and she had a pretty smile with flowers surrounding her. "Who is that?"

"Oh, that one? That was me when I was a little girl. My gradpapa was an artist and he painted me one day while I was playing in the fields. Alright, here we are." Eva announced as she opened the door, "Sorry if it's kind of bare; I was hoping Gustave would be home so I could leave Christine with him and take you furniture shopping."

"No, it's fine. There's a lot more stuff in here than at...her house." he whispered darkly. It still hurt to think of his mother; she might have been a horrid person, but he still had a bond with her that Eva could never break, no matter how much Erik wanted her to. Stepping in, he smiled and sat on the bed; it was soft, not hard like his old one, there was a dresser, two end tables, an old chest at the foot of the bed, a small lamp, and a light blue rug that sat in the middle of the floor.

"Well, get comfortable and I'll get supper started. Oh, do you mind watching Christine? I normally have Gustave watch her while I cook, but, seeing as he's not here..."

"No problem." he smiled and took the squirming bundle from Eva's arms. "Bonjour, Christine. I'm your new brother."

Christine looked up at the mysterious golden eyes that she loved; they were the same color as the chain her mother wore around her neck. Grasping his thin finger, she yawned and nuzzled her face into the bony chest of her brother, sighing softly before she fell asleep.

**I know I write a lot about Erik and Christine as children, but it's my knack. I love writing this kind of stuff! And you better expect a lot more of it because the next few chapters are going to be just about Erik and Christine growing up. Well, off that topic, review! There probably won't be any mention of the Opera House, but Madame Giry will be there, Meg, Nadir, and...Raoul. I'll make him nice, not evil like in Memories. They're all going to be friends and grow up with each other! So...that's about it! If you review, Erik will give you a hug and a cookie!**

**^.^**


	2. Little Child

**I'm so happy! Fanfiction wasn't working for the longest time and I was finally able to upload my first chapter of this story. This story is going to be a little different from what I'm used to writing, but I hope you guys like it. It'll still have some angst, but it will have it's fluffy moments. The chapters are going to be divided up into months, but I don't know how much I'll like it...I might end up switching back to my normal writing where I put my ^.^ when I want to space stuff...whatever! Enjoy!**

**Home Is Where I Belong**

**September**

"Brother Erik! Brother Erik!" a little voice called from the window of the nursery. Erik looked up from his place in the garden and smiled at the curly haired child whose head was sticking out of the window. "Brother Erik, will you come play with me?"

"Of course! I'll be up in a second, la petite!" Erik laughed as he watched Christine's head disappear back into her room. He couldn't believe how big she had gotten over the last six months; her hair had become a deep chestnut brown with blonde highlights, her eyes were a beautiful chocolate brown and they still had the strange violet ring around her pupils.

Picking up his violin, sheet music, and mask, Erik walked back into the grand house that Eva and Gustave owned in Sweden; it had two levels, but they didn't have any servants, many bedrooms, many places to hide, and Erik's favorite place in the whole house was the music room. Gustave was a violinist and he allowed Erik to come inside whenever he wanted. Erik immediately fell in love with the room and Gustave and Eva transformed it into his room while they were in Sweden.

Reaching his room, he placed his things on his bed and sighed happily; he couldn't believe how six months ago he was living with his mother, who used to beat him and starve him if he did anything wrong, was now living with a woman he always wanted for a mother. Eva was kind, gentle, and patient. When he would fly into one of his moods, she knew exactly how to get him out of it. Gustave took Erik a little while to get used to; the man was just like his wife, but when Gustave saw him for the first time without his mask on, he avoided the boy at all costs, until Eva had a talk with him and, ever since then, the man had become a father figure to him. Then there was-

"Brother Erik!" Christine giggled, bursting into his room and ran into his arms for a hug. They were preparing to celebrate her birthday in a week and Christine, even though she really didn't know what a birthday was, was still excited! "Brother, why do you have your mask on?" her innocent voice asked, touching the white leather that covered her brother's face. It always frightened her when he wore it because it looked like a scary monster instead of her loving, doting brother.

"I'm sorry, Christine; I didn't even know I had it on." Erik sighed and untied the ties of his mask and let it fall in his lap. Lifting his golden eyes, he saw Christine's pretty smile widen and clap her hands. "What do you want to play?"

"Hmmm…can you play your violin? I love it when you and Papa play!" she squealed, jumping up and down, causing her curls to bounce. Laughing, Erik picked up the wooden instrument that he taught himself to play and pulled the bow across the strings. The song was a simple lullaby that he learned by listening to Gustave play and Eva accompany him. Eva had told him that she used to sing in an opera house in Italy, much against her parents' wishes, and she was very close to becoming the prima donna, until she became pregnant with Christine. _At the time, Gustave and I weren't married and my parents nearly disowned me. The day they asked us to come and see them, he proposed. He turned the most terrifying day of my life into the happiest._

Christine struggled trying to get up on the bed so that she was closer to the pretty music that her big brother was playing. She knew that, for some reason, Erik wasn't her real brother, but she didn't care; he treated her so kindly! Finally, Christine accomplished getting one leg on the bed, but she lost her balance and fell off, landing on her back. Erik was lost within his music and he didn't hear Christine until she began to cry. Placing the violin on the bed, he rushed down beside her and scooped her up, as he had seen Eva or Gustave do many times, and rocked her back and forth.

"Are you hurt, la petite? I'm sorry; I should have helped you get up." he whispered softly into her red ear, wiping away some of her tears with his hands.

"B-Brother…"

"Yes, child?"

"The…The song y-you were p…playing…was-was pretty." She choked out and nuzzled her cheek into his bony shoulder. She listened to his steady heartbeat, but as she listened closer, she could tell that there was something off with its pattern…still, that was something that didn't bother her. Right now, she just wanted him to comfort her and kiss away her bruises and hurts.

"What's going on in here?" Gustave asked, sticking his head through the opening of the door, his wavy brown hair hanging in his eyes. He had heard a thud and his daughter crying and he ran as fast as he could up the stairs, leaving his wife stunned and a little more than worried, but it turned out that their worrying was for nothing; Erik was holding Christine close, humming her a soothing tune, while her curly head rested on his shoulder, fast asleep.

"Nothing serious, Gustave. I was playing the violin and Christine was trying to get on the bed, but she fell off and began to cry. She's not hurt, maybe a bruise or two, but she'll be fine." Erik explained, walking out into the hallway to where the nursery was. It was a very simple room, just how Christine liked it; her bed was off in the corner, her dresser and toy chest sat underneath a stain-glass window of a rose and nightingale, and a baby blue rug sat in the middle with music notes all over it.

"Good. Erik, there is something that Eva and I want to tell you." Gustave said as he tucked his daughter into bed for a short, afternoon nap. Gustave smiled as he stroked his daughter's brown hair, she looked so much like her mother and she was so mature for her age! She could run, walk, skip, jump, talk in full, coherent sentences, and she was the most perfect child he could have asked for. Turning to look at his adopted son, he noticed that the boy looked a tad bit pale. "Son, are you alright?" his blue eyes showed concern. Erik seemed to snap out of whatever it was and gave the man a shaky smile.

"Yes , sir, I am. I'll just meet you and Eva downstairs."

"Alright. And Erik, thank you for looking after my daughter; I never seem to have time to play or look after her anymore." Gustave smiled and walked out the door. Erik stood tense in his spot. What did his adoptive parents want to talk to him about? Did they finally realize that having a freak around their daughter a bad thing? Did his…mother track him down? He couldn't go back t her! He just couldn't!

Walking downstairs, he heard Eva's laughter ring throughout the floor. _They're probably laughing at me. To think that I trusted these people! Why, God, why?_ "Do you think Erik will be happy? Oh, I hope he is!" Eva giggled again. _What do you think I'll be happy about, Madame Daae? That you'll be sending back to my mother? Well, I'll just leave before you can do that to me!_ "Erik, there you are!"

Erik shook his head as he heard Eva's voice broke his thoughts and his vision blurred; she looked…beautiful as always. How could she even think of sending him away? Tears began to fall down his cheeks and he felt Eva's arms wrap around his skinny body. "What's wrong, my child? Is something bothering you?"

"No, Eva. What is it that you and Gustave want to talk to me about?" _Besides sending me back to my mother?_

"Follow me into the living room and we'll tell you all about it." She smiled warmly, grasping his thin hand and led him to where her husband was waiting patiently. Looking into his eyes, she remembered the reasons why she had fallen in love with him; he had wavy hair that barely reached his shoulders, sparkling sky blue eyes, and a strong build that had many of the ballet girls chasing after him.

"Sit down, Erik," Gustave offered, watching worriedly as his wife wiped away the salty tears on his face. Why was he crying? Did he think he was in trouble or something? Erik sat down as two pairs of blue eyes stared at him, a smile in one of them, and concern in the other. "Erik, the reason why we've asked to talk to you is because,"

"I'm pregnant! I'm having another child!" Eva said, placing a hand on her stomach. Erik looked at them with such relief that he felt tears burn in his eyes.

"You're pregnant? Really?"

"I am. Erik, tell us what is wrong. You haven't been acting like yourself since you left the garden earlier." Eva asked, a frown appearing on her pale face. What could possibly be troubling Erik? Wasn't he happy living with them? Perhaps he _did_ want to move back with his real mother. Shuddering at the thought, she placed her petite hand on top of his, trying to comfort him.

"It's nothing, I assure you." Erik's voice trembled as he tried to rise from his seat on the sofa, but Eva only tightened her grip. "I-I thought…I thought you were…sending me back…t-to my mother." He cried, hiding his face from Eva and Gustave. Now that he thought about it, it was silly to even think that Eva would send him away.

Eva stared at the boy in front of her; he honestly was afraid that they were going to send him away! Getting up from her spot next to her husband, she wrapped her arms around Erik's body again and whispered in his ear that he had nothing to be afraid of, he was going to stay with them.

"I'm sorry if you got that impression, Erik. Gustave and I would never, ever send you back to that awful woman. You're now apart of our family and we wouldn't want it any other way."

"I've...I've n-never had...a-a family b...before."

"Now you do." the strong voice of Gustave joined in, placing a hand on Erik's bony shoulder.

"Thank you..."

**December**

Eva lay on the bed she shared with her husband, trying to distract herself from the pain that was coming from her abdomen. She didn't know what was wrong! She wasn't having a miscarriage, she was barely showing! _Please, let there be nothing wrong with my baby. _

Gustave had left a little over an hour ago to go find the doctor and her children were right by her side. Her darling Christine had just turned one back in September and her young man, Erik, was seven with his birthday coming up in February. Erik was currently holding her hand and Christine sat on the bed next to her, singing a soft lullaby.

"Everything's okay, Maman." she would whisper over and over again. Christine was such a sweet, loving child; it surprised Eva that she was only one and not five.

"My dear, you don't have to worry about me so much. Papa will be home soon with the doctor and he'll make me all better."

"Then we can play again, right?"

"Right." Eva breathed, falling into a light, painful sleep. Erik sighed, knowing that what most of Eva said was a lie; she wasn't going to make it. She would be lucky enough to get through the pregnancy! Picking up Christine, who kicked and cried the whole time, begging to be with her Maman, they walked out of the room.

"I'm sorry, la petite, but your Maman needs her rest." Erik tried to explain, but all he got was a glare from the tiny girl, whose eyes glistened with tears.

"I want my Maman. You won't let me see her." she said darkly. Wiping her cheeks, Christine ran upstairs and slammed the door shut, completely forgetting about her mother that was trying to get some rest.

Erik stared at the design in the Persian carpet, thinking about Eva, wondering how she had gotten so sick. The day this all began, she was outside watching he, Christine, and Gustave playing in the snow. She had complained that she was getting tired, and they all encouraged her to get some rest, but she said that she could toughen it out. Less than a half-an-hour later, she fainted right in front of them. She constantly had stomach pains and she would get a fever from time to time.

_She can't die...she just possibly can't. Why is it when I finally get close to something, it dies or runs away?_ Erik turned his head at the sound of the door opening and felt a little relieved when he saw Gustave and the doctor step over the threshold.

"Erik, is Eva alright?" Gustave asked frantically. The only reason why Erik would leave his wife's side was if she was asleep or...he couldn't think about it!

"She's asleep. Christine and I left the room so she could rest easier." he answered in monotone, not trying to show the emotions that were about come pouring out.

"Thank you." and with that, the doctor walked calmly into the bedroom while everyone else waited outside, wondering the fate of Eva Daae.

**May**

"Eva, push! You're so close, darling." Gustave encouraged her, tears forming in his eyes when he saw all color drain out of her face. The doctor couldn't figure out what was wrong with Eva, but from what he could tell, her body was too small and too fragile to harbor another child and that the baby was going to either die within a week after his visit or it would be a still born. Gustave prayed that neither of these would happen, but he wasn't so sure anymore.

"L-Love...please...let me rest. I c-can't...take it." Eva begged, grasping his hand, tears and sweat mingling on her cheeks. Why was this so hard? When she had Christine, it didn't hurt nearly as much as this!

"I'm sorry, Madame, but you cannot rest. If you don't keep pushing, your baby might die." the midwife said tiredly. The poor woman had been in labor for nearly twenty-four hours and she was about ready to give up.

Eva lifted her sparkling sapphire eyes to see Gustave's sad, dull sky blue eyes and she was able to find the strength she needed to give one last push! Letting a scream rip through her throat, she fell back against the sweat soaked pillows, breathing heavily as she listened to a soft cry ring throughout the room. "M-My child."

"Yes, my love, it's our child; our son." Gustave whispered happily, squeezing Eva's tiny, pale hand in his large calloused one. Smiling, he watched the midwife clean up his son and wrapped the squirming baby in a soft white blanket.

"Monsieur, Madame, may I present your son." the midwife pronounced, handing the baby to the happy mother, who took her child into her shaky, but welcoming, arms.

"Look...a-at him. He's...so perfect. Let the...others s-see their...brother."

"Of course, my dear. I'll be back in a moment." he patted her hand, standing up and walking out the door to where his two other children sat. Christine was asleep in Erik's lap and Erik was alert, but trying to fight off sleep. "The baby is here, Erik. Let me grab Christine so you can get up."

Erik nodded sleepily, noticing that the clock read eleven PM. _I hope Eva is alright; that was awfully long. _Standing up, he stretched his bony limbs and walked back into the bedroom, where he found a half awake Christine snuggled up against her mother's side while Eva fed her baby it's first meal.

"Come here...Erik. Come see your brother." Eva smiled. She hadn't felt so much joy since Christine was born and she was glad that she could spend it with Erik; his gold eyes swam with tears as he looked at the tiny bundle. Who knew that something so little could come out of someone. _Did my mother look at me like that when I was born? Did she kiss my forehead? Did she even hold me? _

Christine giggled when she saw her brother; he had dark brown hair, almost black, her maman's sapphire eyes, and her papa's chubby cheeks.

"Maman, why is he so little?"

"He's only a baby, sweet-love. You were this tiny when you were born." Gustave explained, kissing his daughter's curly hair. "What do you want to name him?"

"Charles," Eva whispered, falling asleep with her child in her arms.

**Well, this chapter is done. Let me know what you think of it and if you like it, I'll update soon! I personally love writing this story because...I don't really know. It's just fun to write about them as little kids. I know Christine seems pretty smart for a one year-old, but Erik was that smart when he was that age! Or at least I think he was...anyway, that's how I'm going to write my Christine and if anyone has issues with it...just tell me! Review please!**

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	3. Bye Bye and Birthdays

**I'm back! I didn't die, obviously, but I just haven't had the time to write! We're doing stupid testing at school, and who said high school was fun? It's a pain in the ass, but I want to go to college so I can't bitch too much. Anyway, in this chapter, someone is going to die, but I'm not saying who. You guys will have to guess that! Enjoy and review!**

**Home Is Where I Belong**

**May**

It had been three days since Charles' birth and Eva's health had been declining rapidly; she couldn't eat, couldn't sleep, she couldn't do anything! She barely had the strength to feed Charles. Gustave was dying a little inside each day as he watched his wife pull farther and farther away from him; she didn't recognize him or Christine or Erik anymore. All she could remember was that Charles was her child and that she was dying.

Erik was standing in front of the doorway, watching his adopted mother slowly and painfully die. Every time he loved something or someone, they left him! Why? Why was it always him? Tears spilled from his golden eyes and onto his deformed face; his curse. He knew that Christine was oblivious to what was happening to her mother and, he and Gustave both agreed, that it was for the best. She was only a little girl who wouldn't fully understand that her mother was dying. When she did ask, he would tell her that Eva wasn't feeling well, but that she would get better soon.

Christine stood in the middle of the narrow hallway, trying her best to be silent, but her hushed sobs were beginning to grow louder and louder. She couldn't figure out why her papa and brother were lying to her; she knew that her maman was leaving to go back to heaven and that she wouldn't get to see her again. She was barely over a year old, but she was an intelligent child and could pick up on things easily. Walking up behind her brother, Christine tapped him on the shoulder and cried even harder when she saw tears rolling down his pale cheeks.

"Erik, why do you and Papa lie about Maman?" she asked, raising her arms as a sign to be picked up. Leaning down, Erik effortlessly picked the tiny girl up, letting her cry on his shoulder and he in her thick brown hair.

"I'm sorry, la petite. I'm so sorry." was all he could say. Erik felt horrible inside for lying to Christine, but she was smart, she would have eventually figured it out. Looking back into the room, he saw Gustave lifting Charles out of Eva's limp arms and he knew that she was gone.

Walking into the dimly lite room, Erik set Christine onto the bed, hoping that Eva's spirit still lingered so her daughter could give her one last goodbye.

Christine stared at her maman in horror; her chest wasn't moving and she wasn't making any noise! What was wrong with her? "Maman? Maman, wake up. Please wake up, Maman! I love you!" she cried, throwing her body onto the unmoving one of her mother's.

It tore Gustave up inside to see his daughter cry over his wife; he didn't even notice that his Eva passed until he heard Charles crying. When he saw that her chest wasn't moving, he felt his heart drop and guilt set in. He didn't say goodbye. He didn't get to tell her that he loved her beyond all logical reason! All he could do was kiss her cheek and pick Charles up from her lifeless arms.

"Au revior, Eva." Erik whispered, squeezing Eva's still warm hand and collapsed on the bed, not wanting to believe the only woman he ever trusted was dead. She had been so warm and kind to him; she never beat him, like his mother, never called him 'monster' or 'freak', she didn't keep him locked up in his room. As far as he had been concerned, Eva was his mother, but now...she was gone and she wasn't coming back.

Fear soon began to take over; would he be going back to his mother's? Now that Eva was gone, the money that her parents provided would stop and Gustave didn't make that much money as a musician. What if Gustave took him back? What if the family didn't have enough money to support him?

**July**

Three months. To Christine, it had been the longest three months of her short life. She missed her maman and she had closed herself off to everyone else; not even Erik could cheer her up. She would go about her business, taking care of Charles, eating, and going to bed. She refused to listen to any sort of music and when she did, she would burst out into anguished tears and beg for her maman to come back.

Gustave hated seeing his oldest child grieve over his wife. He had hoped that she would recover quicker than this, but he knew that she was a very emotional child and that it would take her more than a few months to get over losing Eva. Christine was currently sitting on the floor in their new flat in Paris, playing with her dolls; she had a small smile on her face, but it was sad and cold. It was something that didn't belong on a young child's face.

Hearing footsteps coming down the stairs, Gustave turned around and was met with the golden eyes of Erik, who was holding a cooing Charles in his thin, yet muscular arms. He had been a huge help after Eva passed. He did extra chores, cared for Christine and Charles, and was slowly bringing music back into the house. Gustave could tell that Erik knew money was tight and many times over the past three months the boy offered to leave, but every time he brought it up, Gustave would declined, telling him that money wasn't important and that he would be able to support them all.

But not for very long. The money was beginning to thin and he wasn't making much money performing and selling his music, but it was all he could do. He had just applied for an audition for the Paris Opera's orchestra and he hoped that he could pass the audition because it paid good money with every performance and a few dollars every rehearsal.

"Gustave, do you need me to go to the market? I noticed that we don't have everything for dinner." Erik asked, breaking the icy silence that had settled over the room.

"Would you mind, Erik? I've just been too busy to go lately." Gustave sighed. He didn't like sending Erik on errands because everyone would gawk at his mask and would gossip that he was a child from an affair.

"Can I go with Erik, Papa?" Christine asked, her brown eyes meeting Erik's golden ones. She hadn't been to the market yet, she hadn't even left the apartment since they arrived and she was starting to miss the sunshine.

"Of course, mon ange, and while your there, why don't you pick out a treat. You haven't had one in a while."

At this, Christine's face brightened up for the first time in three months and she quickly scampered up the small flight of stairs so she could grab a pair of shoes from her bedroom. Grabbing a soft pair green slippers to match her light green play dress, she slipped them on with ease and skipped her way back downstairs, where Erik was waiting with his cloak on and holding her's out for her to take.

"Merci, Erik! Au revior, Papa!" Christine laughed, for the first time in weeks, and placed a soft kiss on his bearded face.

"I'll see you later, my darling Christine." Gustave smiled, glad that his daughter was happy. Perhaps she wouldn't take as long as he originally thought.

Outside, Christine blocked the sun out of her eyes, wishing that Erik would have given her a shawl instead of her heavy cloak, but when the wind blew by, she understood why he had given it to her! "Are we really going to the market, Erik? I've never been to a market before!" she whispered excitedly. Erik smiled at her enthusiasm; she was beginning to act like the carefree Christine he had known before...Eva passed away. "We are, la petite. We're also stopping by the bakery so you can pick out a treat for yourself."

"Can we get something for Papa? He loves sweets!" she asked, thinking about getting him his favorite: a strawberry tart with powder sugar on top!

"If we have some money left over. And, if you behave, we might be able to stop by the opera house." he laughed, seeing her brown eyes grow wide with excitement. Erik knew that Gustave was auditioning for the orchestra and when he had told Christine about it, she gave him and Gustave a huge grin, but didn't say anything about it, but he knew she was dying to see the grand building where her papa was going to be working.

"Really? Oh, that would be wonderful!" she squealed, grasping her brother's hand tightly.

**September**

"Happy Birthday, Christine!" Gustave and Erik cheered, pulling the blindfold off the two year-old's eyes. Christine gasped and clapped her little hands together; it was a surprise birthday party! They were at the park and there was a red blanket sitting in the grass with bright boxes which contained her presents surrounding a small, but lovely chocolate cake with vanilla icing on it.

"Merci beaucoup, Papa! Erik! This is so...so...what was the word you taught me, Erik?"

"Fantastic, la petite."

"Fantastic!" she laughed, hugging her papa's legs with all her might!

"I'm sorry it's such a small party, darling, with just me, Erik, and Charles, but you didn't tell me to invite anyone." Gustave apologized. He had hoped that he could make this day more special for his daughter, but it seemed that she didn't have any friends, even though there were many children in their area.

"It's alright, Papa. I'm glad that it's small; that way you don't all have to fight for my attention." Christine giggled slightly, sitting on the blanket next to her presents. Gustave only smiled as he watched his little girl shake her gifts, wondering what on Earth could be inside. He had been able to get the job at the Paris Opera and money, thankfully, was becoming less and less of an issues; for awhile, he could barely afford to feed his family and pay rent, but now he was able to do both and have a little money left over.

"Papa, aren't you going to come sit with me and Erik?" Christine's pretty voice cut through his thoughts. Looking down at Charles' sapphire eyes, he wanted to cry, but at the same time, he wanted to dance for joy; his eyes reminded him so much of his late wife...but he wasn't going to think about that right now. He was going to enjoy his daughter's birthday and have fun.

"Coming, my dear." he called, making his way over to the red blanket. Christine had already began to rip open her first gift and she practically squealed with delight; it was a silver locket in the shape of a rose bud from Erik. _How did the boy afford such a thing? It couldn't have been inexpensive._

"Erik, merci! It's beautiful!"

"You're welcome. I found it while I was shopping; it was damaged so it wasn't that much money and I was able to fix it myself. Open it, there's another surprise in there."

Christine didn't need to be told twice! Opening the little clasp, her eyes welled up with tears at what she found; it was a picture of her maman and papa when she was pregnant with her and the other was of a recent picture of Charles, his chubby cheeks were turned up in a smile. "I almost forgot what Maman looked like..." she sniffled and flung her arms around Erik's neck, thanking him over and over again.

After a few seconds of crying, Christine pulled away and put the locket on, with her papa's help, and smiled brightly, fingering the delicate piece of silver.

Gustave picked up his gift and handed it to his little girl, hoping she would like it. Tearing off the paper, Christine lifted a gold bracelet out of the box she was holding and looked carefully at it; the beautiful piece of gold had vines carved into it and roses budding and blooming all around it.

"It belonged to Maman. I wanted you to have, Christine." Gustave explained. Even though the jewlery was too big for her to wear at her age, he knew she would wear it when she got old enough.

The same reaction that she got from Erik's gift came and Christine jumped into her papa's arms, thanking him a thousand times for the precious, precious gift.

The rest of the day was spent happily playing around in the grass, hide-and-seek, and eating cake. When it was time to leave, Christine had fallen asleep next her her little brother on the red blanket; her necklace held firmly in one hand and her bracelet held in the other.

**This chapter was sad and happy! I cried when I had to write about Eva dying and I'm sorry if it seemed that I rushed things, but I didn't want to linger on Eva's death for too long. Anyways, beside it being a little rushed, I had a great time writing this and I hope that you guys enjoyed reading it! Review and Erik will give you a Valentine!**

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	4. House By The Sea

**I'm having so much fun updating everything! I've been neglecting my stories for way too long, my homework can be proof of that, plus I have my finals that I have to start worrying about to. Ah, so much stuff to do and so little time to do it. Spring is here and I feel like writing a special chapter for you guys! I'm so excited that this season is here because I've just sat through six months of snow and I know that there is tons more to come, but I'm going to soak up all the sun that I can!**

**Home Is Where I Belong**

**March**

The snow was beginning to melt and the Daae family couldn't help but to be excited! The sun was shining, birds were starting to return, and there were tiny green buds on the trees and bushes. Christine was sitting outside in her winter clothes and thick wool cloak. The seasons may have been turning, but that didn't stop Gustave from dressing his children up warmly. _"I don't want any of you getting sick."_

But, one child was an exception to that rule: Erik. The child never seemed to get cold! It was like he was naturally used to it. He blamed it on the many cold nights he spent in the attic at his mother's house; all he had to warm himself with on those nights was just a thin blanket and his lanky arms to wrap around himself.

As Christine thought this, she jumped from pile to pile of snow and ice; seeing how far she can jump and trying her best not to slip in her boots. _I wonder if Brother Erik wants to play with me. He's been inside all day and he doesn't seem very happy. _Walking towards the house, Christine heard a sad, but pretty song being played on the violin. The song made her want to cry it was so pretty!

Taking off her boots and her cloak, making sure that she set them close to the fire, she tiptoed her way up the wooden stairs, trying very hard to be sneaky like how Erik taught her, and reached the room where the music was coming from; it was her papa's room. Usually her papa played sad music on the day her maman had left them, which she still didn't understand why her maman left, but this wasn't the day she left and she had only seen him less than an hour ago and he seemed happy…

Gently knocking on the door, Christine grabbed the fabric of her baby blue dress, attempting to wipe the sweat off before her papa opened the door. He didn't like to be disturbed when he was playing, but hopefully she could make him happy again when he saw her.

Gustave heard the hesitant little knock on his door and immediately knew who was coming to check up on him: his darling Christine. Setting the violin down in the bed, he opened the wooden door and smiled at the fidgeting child standing in front of him.

"Christine, mon ange, what is wrong?" he asked, picking her up and walking over to bed, setting her down as he kneeled in front of her. She knew that he didn't like to be disrupted while he was playing and she was very good at following that rule, unless she or Charles or Erik was hurt or something that made him set his violin or sheet music down and take care of them.

"Your music is sad, Papa. Why is it sad?" her childish voice questioned, grasping one of Gustave's curly brown hair between her fingers. She had always loved that her and her papa had the same type of hair, even though his was darker than hers.

"I'm sorry if it sounded sad, ma petite enfant; Papa just has a lot on his mind right now." That was pretty much an understatement to how he was really feeling. He had just been to the doctor's office and he been diagnosed with…something; he couldn't remember the name nor did he want to. The doctor said he would slowly get sicker and sicker as the years went by. He also said that by the time Christine was three, he…the doctor just said that it wouldn't be good.

"Is there anyway Christine can help her papa?" Christine's brown eyes with that odd violet ring stared at him with concern. "Can I take stuff off your mind?"

"I wish you could, but Papa just needs to think this stuff over. Here, I promise you that tomorrow we can go down to the lake and if there is still ice, and if it's safe, we can go skating. It'll just be you and me; Erik can stay here and look after Charles."

Christine's eyes lit up at the thought of going skating; she had barely gone all winter! Gustave had been so busy over the last few months with work and taking care of Charles that he neglected spending time with his other children.

"Really? We can go ice skating?"

"But if there is not enough ice, or if it's not safe, we can just go on a nice walk around the lake."

"And it'll still just be me and Papa?"

"Yes, it'll still just be you and Papa." Gustave smiled for the first time in days. He loved spoiling his little girl; he never got to see her anymore and now that he found out about…his illness, he wanted to spend as much time with the three of them as possible.

Christine clapped her tiny hands together as she leapt off the bed and ran down the hallway, excited to tell Brother Erik what Papa had promised her. She found him in the nursery, holding Charles with one hand and playing peek-a-boo with the other. The tiny baby was laughing, trying to grab the older boy's hand.

Charles didn't seem to learn things as easily as Christine had; he was nearly a year old and he still hadn't spoken his first real sentences and he still had yet to walk, even crawling seemed difficult for him, but she knew that Erik and Papa didn't care. _God made everyone different; Charles just needs help learning things._

Erik sensed the little girl in the doorway, smiling as Charles called out his nickname for her, "Chrissie!"

"Bonjour, Charles. How is my baby brother doing today?" Christine giggled, skipping towards her brothers and holding out a finger for the younger one to take. Charles latched onto it immediately, putting it into his mouth, sucking happily.

"He's actually been behaving himself. You seem to be in a good mood, la petite; did your papa tell you something?" Erik asked. He had heard Gustave and Christine talking and he was glad that the two of them were going to spend time together; Gustave had told him already about his illness and both of them knew that it could be one of the few times he'd be able to do things outside with his little girl.

"Papa and I are going skating! I'm ex…ex-ex-"

"Excited,"

"Yeah! I can't wait! Papa said that he'll take me tomorrow!" her smile grew wider with excitement. Ice skating! She had only done it once before and she nearly threw a fit when her papa told her that they couldn't go that winter, but she also knew that things could possibly change and that they may end up going on a walk, but that didn't dampen her spirits at all!

"Well, I hope you two enjoy yourselves. Charles and I will keep ourselves occupied." Erik laughed, bouncing the mentioned child. Pulling his sister's finger out of his mouth, Charles grabbed a piece of Erik's long black hair in his chubby hand and yanked.

"Ow! Charles, don't pull on my hair!" Erik couldn't help but smile at the boy. He still didn't understand why nobody in the house was afraid of his face, especially the baby. Even though he was eight now, his birthday being in February, his face still looked exactly the same; he had always hoped that his face would improve, but that certainly was not the case.

"Erik hair!" Charles squealed, letting go of the strand of hair and placed a hand on the hollow cheek. Charles never was scared of Erik's face; it was only a face and it was who his brother was.

"He's so funny." Christine whispered, running her fingers through his dark brown hair.

**May**

"We finally get to go on our walk!" Christine smiled, grasping her papa's hand as they walked out into the warm spring air. She didn't know why, but her papa had gotten sick the same night he had promised to go on a walk and today was the only day he felt well enough to get out of bed to walk with her.

"I'm sorry that we couldn't go when I promised, la petite." Gustave sighed, placing a hand on her curly head. He still had to tell Christine that he was sick, but that could wait until later; right now, he just wanted to be around his girl and just enjoy the weather while he still could.

"It would have been fun to skate, but Papa wasn't feeling well, so I'm going to enjoy just walking because Papa is with me."

"We'll both enjoy this walk, won't we?"

Gustave didn't know how he was going to tell Christine that this might be one of the last times he'll be walking around for awhile…perhaps he could have Erik tell her. The boy seemed to have an odd connection with her; maybe he could explain it to her.

"Papa, how did you get so sick so fast? Like how you got so sad that day." Christine looked up at Gustave; her brown eyes questioning and her grip growing tighter. There was something that he and Erik weren't telling her and she wanted to know! She deserved to know!

Swallowing over a lump in his throat, Gustave picked up his little girl, thinking of the best way to tell her about all of this. _She's not even three yet! How is she going to understand any of this? _"Well, my dear, Papa is very sick, but you can't catch it."

Cocking her head to the side, Christine didn't know what her papa meant. "What do you mean that I can't catch it? If Erik gets a cold, Christine gets it too."

"That's how it usually works, but this is something different. This is something that only Papa has and you, Erik, or Charles can't catch it; hopefully you'll never get it."

"Are you going to leave too?" she chocked out, thinking about how her maman had grown so still and she didn't breathe.

"I don't know, Chrissie, but if I do, I'll never be truly gone." Gustave whispered, trying to make her feel better. How was it that they were walking down the road, a smile on both of they're faces, enjoying themselves, and now they were discussing what was going to happen if he were to die? "I'll send you the angel of music to you."

Christine seemed to brighten slightly at this, but it was soon replaced by silence filled with sadness. Was God angry with her? Was she such a bad girl that He was taking her papa away? "But I want Papa; not some silly angel from our fairytales."

"Don't worry, mon rose. Everything is going to be perfectly fine. Now, no more dwelling on such thoughts; it's a gorgeous day out here and let us not spoil it." Gustave smiled, tickling his curly headed girl, causing her to giggle.

"Alright, Papa. Papa, am I a good girl?" Christine questioned out of the blue. Gustave stared into her innocent doe eyes and knew that she was being completely serious. As serious as a two year-old could get.

"You are the most perfect little girl I know, Christine. Don't ever think like that."

**June**

Erik, Christine, and one year-old Charles were all outside playing in the sand. After Gustave caught his illness, his boss, who knew he had three children at home, let them stay at his house by the sea. _"The sea air will be good for you and my wife will be pleased to hear that our summer home is being put to good use. Just come back when you feel better, alright?"_

Erik was surprised when he found out that the man was generous enough to let them stay at the house. He also noticed that Gustave's health _was_ improving while their stay and he could tell Christine was getting her usual glow back. For awhile after she found out, Christine would mope around the apartment, often muttering to herself, or to God, asking why her papa was sick and if he would leave like her maman had. It had worried both him and Gustave to see the child act in such a way, but now that she was at the beach with the salty sea air greeting her every time she went out, she was improving too.

"Charles, don't eat that!" Christine laughed, grabbing Charles's tiny hand in her own petite one, making him dump the sand that he was holding.

"Salty, Chrissie, salty!" he giggled, licking his fingers while Erik smirked. Both of the children loved the sea and when he had told them that they were going to live there, Christine grew so excited and Charles just gave a blank stare. _"What sea?" _

After at least an hour of explaining, showing of maps, and pictures from books, Charles seemed to finally understand what the ocean was, clapping his hands with glee. _"I got it! I got it!"_

Walking down the beach, Erik saw someone walking towards them. Two people actually; a small boy, a year or two older than Christine, and an older woman dressed in all black. _I didn't know anybody else lived this close by._ Looking over his shoulder, he saw Christine and Charles were digging for seashells, probably planning on giving them to their father once they got home.

"Christine, don't go near the sea, alright? I'll be right back." Erik called. Christine nodded her curly brownish blonde head and kept digging, showing Charles how to properly dump the sand instead of just flinging it everywhere. Erik put his mask on his face, walking towards the two people. The closer he got, the more he could make them out; the young boy had blonde hair-nearly bleached!-with a plump, boyish face and rosy cheeks that even rivaled Charles's! The older woman looked plain, but there were hints that she was beautiful in her youth; she had graying black hair, sparkling green eyes, high cheekbones, and a petite figure that was hugged by her mourning clothes. _She must have just recently lost her husband. _

The boy standing next to the lady tugged on her skirts, pointing his finger straight at Erik's mask. Erik saw this gesture and all he wanted to do was hide so that he wouldn't be mocked by the child, just like many others had while he and his family were out in the market or the beach. He could tell that the boy was asking the woman something and she nodded her head, but told him something that Erik could barely make out, "Make sure you don't be rude, Raoul."

With a quick nod, the boy, Raoul, ran up to Erik, a gigantic grin on his face. "Bonjour, monsieur; my name is Raoul de Chagny! Madame Valerius and I saw you walking up to us. Is that your brother and sister?" he asked, looking over Erik's shoulder to get a better look at the younger children. He thought the boy was cute and all, but what really caught his attention was the girl, who played around as if she were a boy herself! Most girls he knew were always kept inside and were very prim and proper. This girl apparently wasn't those types of girls. And he liked it!

Erik could already tell that this child was going to get annoying just by him asking so many questions and by the way he was looking at Christine. _Why did I even bother coming over? How did I become so…social? I'm sure that if I was still living with…Mother, I would have never done something like this! I would have stayed up in my room, not like I really had a choice, and be quiet. Now, I'm being friendly to a boy I have just met on accident!_

Erik could tell that this was going to be the longest trip to the beach they had ever had.

**Well, we introduced Raoul into the story. Now, I'm infamous for Raoul bashing and all those who read my stories know that, but I'm not going to bash a four year-old kid. No. I'm going to let Christine and Raoul become friends, no matter how much Erik hates it! I'll also have Meg, Madame Giry, Nadir, and perhaps the managers will get a little cameo appearance! Wouldn't that be interesting! Well, you all know that drill! Review please and have a good night!**

**Oh, this is for anyone who actually enjoys reading my notes: I have a new step cousin! I'm so excited! My stepdad hasn't called his brother yet so I don't know the name of the baby, but I know it's a boy! And my mom and stepdad's anniversary is tomorrow so don't be surprised if I write a special story for them, but it won't be Phantom or Twilight; I'm in the mood to try writing other fan fiction. Okay, I'm done rambling! Nighty Night!**


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